Baoluo Rice Noodles

Baoluo fen is a rice-noodle snack from Baoluo town in Wenchang, hand-made from fine rice into strands slightly thicker than Hainan fen, translucent and soft yet chewy, a noted local food since the Ming dynasty.

The noodle takes its name from Baoluo town, alongside Dazipo town a traditional place of origin, where hand-making and broth-drawing have been passed down for generations, spreading across Hainan to become one of Haikou's characteristic breakfasts.

Most often served in soup, the noodles are bathed in a rich broth of pork bone and beef and topped with dried beef, peanuts, sour bamboo and herbs, savoury with a faint tang and a wide, slippery bowl; a dry-mixed version dressed in sauce brings out deeper aroma.

The translucent, somewhat thicker strands, the mellow bone broth and generous toppings such as dried beef are what set Baoluo fen apart from other Hainan rice noodles.